Rowdy Roddy Piper is my all time favorite professional wrestler. He was the best bad guy. He was the logical voice of reason… most of the time. He was completely unpredictable. I was an idiot and did not go to see him when he came to a fan show in Knoxville, TN. I missed meeting him, as he passed away a short time later.

Hot Rod – YOU WILL BE MISSED!

Piper Quotes

I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum.

Just when you think you know the answers, I change the questions.

Sooner or later, everybody pays the piper.

I’m the reason Hulk Hogan lost his hair.

I don’t need to know how tough I am to know how tough I am.

My business, in the beginning, was very lawless and the more trouble I go into, the more the promoters liked me back then. I was on the front page for doing something wrong, the arena was full. Then, all of a sudden, everything changed somehow and they put rules in. You put rules in a gunfight? I’m not so good at following those rules. I don’t’ know what will happen at WrestleMania.

I’m so quick, I could spit int he wind, duck, and let it hit the old lady behind me.

On this day, 1962, NASA made a big announcement. They said they were gonna rocket it Like a C5 Like a C5 Rocket. Ok, forgive my bit of punniness, but I am and always have been a fan of the US Space Agency, NASA. In 1962 they did announce that they were going to create...

You hate Anchovies?!? Are you freaking kidding me, I ask anyone making such a bold and usually uninformed pronouncement? Anchovies are one of, maybe even the greatest flavor enhancing magic carpet ride that mere culinary mortals readily have at their disposal to add...

Hollywood Babble-On was my first. Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith took my pod-cherry together. They stormed into my week, forced me to slog through a backlog of aural goodness and then continued to make me come back for more. And not only do I come back for more... I...

Good Riddance 2016 From a pop-culture perspective, 2016 sucked. We lost icon after icon in 2016 and at this point as I reflect on the year, it is really what I am focused on. Below is a brief list of some of the losses that stuck out to me. It is not all inclusive and...

Mitch Hedberg Born February 24, 1968 Mitch Hedberg left us too soon. He was a funny, funny guy and his delivery made him completely memorable. He is still one of my favorite stand up comedians and his albums are still on rotation on my Spotify - downloaded and ready...

Michael Rapaport has been around since 1990 as part of our pop-culture. Starting with China Beach, he has appeared on TV, on the big screen, been pumped into your ear on his own podcast and is a documentarian in his own right. You hear that very New York accent and you have to look around and wonder if it is Rapaport that you are hearing.

Noteworthy

ER – Literally just watched this as my wife and I are burning through ER on Hulu. Rapaport is an injured man that wants to see his daughter. You drift in and out of his story throughout the show. May have been the first thing I saw him in back in the day. Damn, he is a good actor.

Friends – Phoebe’s boyfriend for a while. Probably the longest running relationship until Paul Rudd shows up at the end of the show. He is a New York cop. He might have been born to play this role.

When Garden Was Eden – Rapaport’s documentary on the Knick’s championship runs in the 1970s. Very well directed and a hell of a good watch.

So to compare the Beatles, obviously, the Beatles are the Beatles, but in hip-hop terms, Tribe is the Beatles. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are the Beatles. Big Daddy Kane is Jimi Hendrix. It means that much to people that grew up with it.

As of today, Josh Brolin is Cable. Just in case you missed the wonderfulness of this statement... Josh Freakin Brolin is Cable. Now, in case you missed it, Josh Brolin has been acting in Hollywood for a long time. He was a huge part of my childhood, appearing in one...

Michael B Jordan Born February 9, 1987 Michael B Jordan is one of those actors that has already made a huge impact early in his career. From working with Sly Stallone on Creed to being in his second Marvel Comics Movie (Black Panther) you can bet that we will just...

Dakota Fanning Born February 23, 1994 Dakota Fanning popped onto my radar when she appeared in either The Cat in the Hat or Man on Fire. Man on Fire certainly stood out more to me at the time. Since that point, she has continued to turn out good work and is one of...

Caroline Rhea Born April 13, 1964 So I have a bit of a crush on Caroline Rhea. It is not only her looks, it is her wit, and her intelligence. Comedians have to be smart to be funny in my book and she certainly fits that bill. Noteworthy Sabrina, the Teenage Witch -...

Ed Helms - Born January 24, 1974 Ed Helms is one of my favorite performers alive today. I say, performer, because he is way more than just an actor. Whether he is improvising, singing, or acting, Ed Helms is one of those people that brings a smile to your face. As...

Brian Quinn, BQQuinn to some, will always be part of the trio that is Tell Em Steve Dave. This is where I got to know him first and this is where he will always belong in my head. From listening to that podcast I learned about Impractical Jokers and fell backward into binge-watching in while on a business trip to Palm Springs.

Noteworthy

Tell Em Steve Dave – One of my favorite podcasts of all time. The relationships between the main cast (Bry, Walt, and BQ) is what makes this podcast work. They are at home with each other and fell comfortable enough with each other to let down their guards and talk about anything and everything.

Impractical Jokers – I love this show. Four friends play jokes on each other, in public. These jokes are not intended to injure anyone just to embarrass. Such a fun good show.

I Sell Comics is part of the SmodCo network of podcasts. Starring Mike and Ming, this podcasts has at its heart comic books but it covers any and every other topic that happens to cross the minds of the hosts. From interviews to ribbing the folks at Tell Em Steve...

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter In honor of President's Day, I figured I would talk about a truly presidential movie: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now, this is a film about a president that can really protect our domestic interests... from the UNDEAD HORDES! Go...

Chris Farley Born February 15, 1964 Chris Farley... I don't know where to start. I miss Chris Farley. He was funny as hell. He was as good a physical comedian as anyone ever saw. Noteworthy Saturday Night Live - Some of his skits on SNL are the funniest ever. They...

I have a secret science crush. I have had this crush for a while but it got worse when I started listening to the StarTalk Radio podcast with Neil deGrasse Tyson (NdT). I don't know how I am so late to the party picking this podcast up but now that I have found it, I...

Chris Parnell - Born February 5, 1967 I love Chris Parnell. He is like white wine vinegar, he brightens the whole recipe. He is like a chili pepper in the chili - you miss it when it is not there. He, much like Vince Vaughn should just make an appearance in every...

Recently, I have been sharing my love of Ben Stiller with my nephews. Tropic Thunder and then the first two Focker movies. This got me to thinking about how many of Ben Stiller's movies I own and how many roles he has made that are now a part of pop-culture. The list...

Daniel Craig Born March 2, 1968 Daniel Craig has not been in my favorite Bond movies but he is one of the best actors to ever utter the phrase of naming from that series of movies. Besides Bond, Craig has managed to keep up his skills by acting in all manner of...

James McAvoy Born April 21, 1979 James McAvoy is a product of Scotland that we are glad got exported to our shores. He is such a good actor. Whether he is a superhero or a villain you realize that McAvoy is putting everything out there with each and every scene....

Zooey Deschanel Stick around read what I write or what I say on this website enough and you will learn that I highly revere those actors, actresses, and creators of Hollywood's heyday. I would also contend that the actors and actresses of the 40s, 50s, and 60s had to...

Tell em Steve-Dave! That is the sign off to one of my favorite podcasts. The sign off to one of the downloads that I wait on each and every week. Hosted by Bryan Johnson, Walt Flanagan and Brian Quinn, this is potentially the best podcast on the SmodCo Network – sorry Kevin. If I could make a Venn Diagram – easily and not on either of the two pain in the ass sites I just looked at – the sweet spot of this podcast, the middle of that Venn diagram, lies somewhere in the middle of the three main hosts. That being said, you also have to take into account the supporting cast that they bring to play from time to time and the various forms that TESD take from week to week.

It seems stupid, and uneccessary to say but the hosts really are the selling point for this show. They are wonderful with each other. There is history at play between these three that cannot be faked. The way that the three of them interact with each other needs to be bottled and sold to the public – TESD Energy Drink. They are like a functioning government where each one of them is the check and balance to the other. Walt and BQ don’t have a problem calling Brian out on his shit. Bryan and BQ are able to give Walt a focus for his amazing and sometimes absurdly, funny creativity and Bry and Walt allow BQ to step out of his every day life with Impractical Jokers and do something completely different. But in the end, their friendship and history is really what makes the show work. I certainly still listen when one of the guys is missing but when they are all together it is podcast gold.

Along with the three hosts of Tell em Steve-Dave, the supporting cast that they are able to call on is remarkable, and strange, and unique… and … odd. I am going to miss a lot but here are my favorites:

Get Em Steve-Dave – current employee of Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, former bottle dump diver and just all around interesting guy – in particular when he has managed to draw the ire of all three hosts at one time.

Sunday Jeff – Damn I love Sunday Jeff and he can spit some mad lyrics… You need to listen to the show to get this one. I will eventually make the trip to Mecca – in this case the Stash – and I do want to meet Sunday Jeff.

TESD reinvents itself all the time. When the guys feel the need to do something new, it seems that Mr Flanagan is the one that the ball is tossed to. He will grabbed hold of a topic or an idea for a game and beat that idea into submission. The results are amazing. From Overdrive to any of the games they have added over the last 6 months, these guys keep it new and interesting. Overdrive episodes are my favorite, if I had to pick a type of show but they are followed very closely by the trial by fire-ANTS episodes. Those are long form, multiple episode pods and I love them.

There is no need to give TESD the 7 Days a Geek three episode challenge. If you give it a listen and make it through to the end of the show – you will end up adding this to your podcast playlist. From the hosts to the supporting cast and in particular, they way these guys keep changing the show, TESD one of my go-to podcasts.

PS – I listen for the ads and to the ads. They do some of the best ads on any podcast, anywhere. And most of the time the ones that involves Bryan’s niece or Walt’s girls make me roll a tear.

Post PS – TESD came before Impractical Jokers for me. I had caught a couple of episodes but I ended up on a business trip to Palm Springs and at night will I was working at the hotel I watched hours of IJ. Another great show and another reason to love this crew of people.

Tell Em Steve-Dave!

And I will be buying a Four-Color Demons patch soon – I will post pictures when it comes in.